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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. season — in sport
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mate — to breed
  21. season — of the year
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com